Miami Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo is “most likely” to be dealt, according to Ken Rosenthal and an article from Bleacher Report. Rosenthal announced the news on Foul Territory on Thursday.
“Luzardo to me is the single-most likely player to be traded,” Rosenthal told Foul Territory host A.J. Pierzynski.
“The Marlins are going to keep going. They traded [Luis Arráez], they are going to trade Luzardo as long as he stays healthy. He had that little flare-up physically earlier, but he’s gone.”
Luzardo has posted a 4.18 ERA with a 2-4 record in nine starts. Since his return from injury, he’s been on a roll with a 1.75 ERA and opposing hitters are hitting .204 off him. There are plenty of reasons why the Marlins are going into full trade mode considering they’re at the bottom of the National League East standings. Rosenthal’s rumor further indicates that, as Luzardo will likely be the next one out.
Jesús Luzardo Most Likely to Be Traded from Miami
Miami’s Opening Day starter had a dismal start to the season. In his first starts, he carried a 6.58 ERA in 26 innings. His strikeout rate went down from 28.1 percent to 24.1 percent and his walk rate is up from 7.4 to 11.6 percent. It’s a distance from his 2022-23 form, pitching a combined 3.48 ERA in 279 innings. His most recent starts, including Tuesday’s loss to the Padres, have Luzardo with a 4.18 ERA and 50:16 K:BB. Luzardo did manage to reach six innings for a third consecutive start, but never had a shot for a win after the Marlins were shut out.
“I think it’s just showing the progression that I’m slowly making, even when I’m not at my best, I can still go out there and give us at least a chance to win and get a quality start,” Luzardo said to Christian De Nicola of MLB.com. “And that’s really my goal is keeping us in the game and giving us at least a chance.”
The Marlins Don’t Have to Rush to Make Any Decisions
The Marlins were in the postseason just seven months ago. They got two-time All-Star pitcher Sandy Alcantara in a trade sending Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. Then, they drafted Trevor Rogers in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft and Max Meyer with a top-five pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. They landed Luzardo in a trade sending Starling Marte to the Oakland Athletics. With all this stability, the Marlins seem set to start another one. Miami doesn’t have to rush to make a decision any time soon, the trade deadline isn’t until July. All Luzardo can do in the meantime is provide outings like the ones he’s had of late.
Main Photo: © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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